(i)
Outline why God's Gospel
of grace is so glorious
The
Gospel is glorious because it is Good News that speaks of a glorious God.
Firstly
the Gospel speaks of a God who is so perfect and pure that we cannot reach up
to Him. He’s too high, too holy. And as a just God he will not sweep our sin
under the carpet. This is no compromised God that the Gospel speaks of.
Secondly
the Gospel speaks of a God who is so loving that though we were unable to reach
up to Him, He reached down to us in Christ, took our guilt and shame and gifts
forgiveness and fellowship to all who will trust in Christ. (2 Corinthians
5:21)
That’s
glorious Good News that speaks of a glorious God.
(ii)
What are the dangers of
getting the Gospel wrong?
As
the Gospel speaks of the very nature of God, getting the gospel wrong means
getting our understanding of God wrong. We end up worshipping a god who is less
than the true and living God revealed to us in Christ.
Secondly
the Gospel not only speaks about the nature of God, but shows us the way to
Him. Therefore our very salvation is at stake. See Galatians 1:6-12 for how
seriously Paul took getting the Gospel right. To abandon the true Gospel is to
abandon the true God.
(iii) What safeguards should the
Christian have in place to ensure ongoing faithfulness to the Gospel?
We
should be people who love and value:
The
Bible which reveals the true Gospel.
Baptism
and the Lord’s Supper which remind us of the Gospel.
A
local Church which is nothing less than a Gospel community.
And
we should be discerning; we would be wrong to assume that there are no false
gospels being preached in our churches, or Christian books, or popular hymns
today. We would also be wrong to assume that they are any less subtle or any
less damaging than they were in the days Paul wrote to the church in Galatia.
The
Good News is so good, so glorious, that we must guard it, treasure it, tell it,
teach it and live in accordance with it!
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